Ritchie Secures $50,000 for In-School Drug Prevention

State Senator Patty Ritchie is announcing that she has secured $50,000 in funding to help enhance in-school drug prevention efforts in Jefferson and Oswego Counties.

“In communities across the country we see the impact addiction has on our children—whether it’s a family member or unfortunately, the child themselves,” Senator Ritchie said. “As a member of the Senate Joint Task Force on Heroin and Opioid Addiction, I have been fighting to stop the spread of drugs here in New York State—especially in our schools. I’m very pleased to provide this funding, which I believe will go a long way in helping educate and support our children that are—far too often—faced with difficult situations.”

In Oswego County, $30,000 of the funding secured by Senator Ritchie will be provided to Farnham Family Services—a not-for-profit, medically supervised, outpatient drug and alcohol treatment, intervention and prevention clinic—to further anti-drug abuse counseling and education programs in local schools.

In Jefferson County, $20,000 in funding will help Pivot—formerly the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Council of Jefferson County—expand its Student Assistance Program, which places highly trained addiction professionals in schools to provide support for students struggling with drug abuse and related issues.

“The battle against drug abuse in our schools is one that we can get ahead of by directly reaching out to our students,” said Bill Bowman, Executive Director of Pivot. “This funding secured by Senator Ritchie will help expand our reach in Jefferson County schools and help to provide more of the knowledge, skills and support our students need to avoid drug addiction.”

“These prevention efforts are the key to making a real impact on reducing the level of substance use disorder in our community,” said Eric Bresee, Executive Director at Farnham Family Services. “We are proud to call Senator Ritchie a partner in our efforts to provide more substance use prevention programs and supporting our young people to have resources that result in healthier decisions.”

In recent years, area schools have had to scale-back or even eliminate anti-drug programs due to budget constraints. So far, Senator Ritchie has secured more than $200,000 to help keep these programs alive in Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Oswego Counties.